IRS pays $104 million to whistleblower (Washington Times)The IRS awarded the largest whistle-blower award in history — $104 million — to a former banker who gave information that helped expose a $20 billion offshore banking scheme, the recipient’s attorneys said Tuesday.

Bradley Birkenfeld, the whistle-blower, “provided information on taxpayer behavior that the IRS had been unable to detect,” the agency said in granting the award.

“The IRS today sent 104 million messages to whistle-blowers around the world — that there is now a safe and secure way to report tax fraud and that the IRS is now paying awards,” Mr. Birkenfeld’s attorneys said in a statement. “The IRS also sent 104 million messages to banks around the world — stop enabling tax cheats or you will get caught.”